The present invention relates in general to transducers, and in particular to transducers for converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, which are suitable for tactile applications. The present invention also relates to devices that incorporate transducers therein.
Current sound transducers, as incorporated in conventional speakers, are limited in that they cannot easily be tuned for variable frequency applications. They are further limited by requiring a physical support structure. Many conventional transducer designs limit the possible orientation to vertical or horizontal alignments.
Prior art transducers for use in the “tactile” frequency range (10 hz to 2 khz) suffer from a number of these and other limitations. Many applications of these transducers involve attaching the transducer to existing devices (walls, chairs, etc.) that have limited clearance.
One early transducer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,430,007 and 3,524,027 and is commercially manufactured and sold by Richtech Enterprises as the Rolen-Star Audio Transducer (RSAT). The RSAT measures 1.75″×4″ and employs a 2.2 lb. magnet with a 1″ edgewound aluminum voice coil. The center of one side of the RSAT is mounted to a panel, such as a wall or ceiling, so as to turn the surface into speaker. Although the voice coil may originally be from a full range 20 hz-20 khz speaker (since this is their advertised range), encasing the coil in a fully-sealed Lexan® plastic casing decreases this range. Furthermore, the mounting surface limits the actual frequency range and its use of a “short throw” voice coil design inside a casing results in very poor bass response. Although pioneering in its day, the RSAT is now considered the cheapest and lowest quality of this type of transducer.
Variations on this type of transducer are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,870 to Riviera and U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,497 to Komatsu.
One other prior art transducer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,592, assigned to Aura Systems, Inc. Variations of this prior art transducer are marketed by Aura Systems as “Bass Shakers.” These “Bass Shakers” can be mounted in any orientation, but the commercial embodiments, such as the Aura AST-2B-4, have a limited frequency response in the 20 hz-80 hz range and are further limited in their application by their size and weight (2.2″×6.2″, 3 lbs.). Aura's “Bass Shakers” are also inefficient and tend to get quite hot with extended use, even when cooling fins are used, such as on the Aura AST-2B-4. Yet another problem with the Aura units is that they have a resonant frequency of 45 hz which can easily overpower their phenolic springs.
Another prior art transducer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,700, assigned to Clark Synthesis. Variations of this prior art transducer are marketed by Clark Synthesis as “Tactile Sound Transducers” or “TSTs.” The commercial embodiment of these devices, such as the Clark Synthesis TST429, have an improved frequency range relative to the Aura devices of 5 hz-800 hz, but are limited in their application by being even larger (2.25″×8 ″) and have been found by the present inventor to be limited in the orientation that they can be mounted due to the material used in the springs. While the resonant frequency of Clark Synthesis units depends on the material (older units used Lucite “L” acrylic and had a 550 hz resonant frequency whereas newer units have a 65 hz resonant frequency due to use of Cevian® ABS and SAN), in general, they have a flatter frequency response than the Aura units.
A further prior art transducer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,773, assigned to D-Box Technology Inc. This motion transducer system uses a plurality of synchronized movement generator units for generating small amplitude and low frequency movements in a viewer's chair. A DSP-controller brushless AC motor and a hydraulic piston are used for the generator units.
Additional prior art transducers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,297,972 to Mills, U.S. Pat. No. 2,862,069 (Re.26,030) to Marchand et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,749 to Ries, U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,287 to Hirano, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,270 to Andrews.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a transducer that overcomes these limitations with the prior art.
Furthermore, stress levels caused by modern society are increasing. Stress is an emotional, physical, and psychological reaction to change. While people often think of stressful events as being “negative,” such as loss of a job or relationship, illness or death, they can also be perceived “positive.” For example, a promotion, a marriage, or a home purchase can bring a change of status and new responsibility, which leads to stress. Stress is an integral part of life. Whether a stressful experience is a result of major life changes or the accumulative effects of minor everyday events, it is how an individual perceives and reacts to a stressful experience that can create a negative result.
As the result of living in a culture that has advanced more rapidly than its biological nature has progressed, humans still carry primitive instincts from our prehistoric ancestors. A predominate instinctual pattern is the “fight or flight” response. This response is a series of biochemical changes that prepare humans to deal with threats. Primitive man needed quick bursts of energy to fight or flee predators. Today, when society prevents people from fighting or running away, stress triggers a mobilization response that is no longer useful. The dilemma is that people so often mobilize involuntarily for fight or flight, but seldom carry through the process in physical terms. This has very serious consequences for health and well-being.
According to recent American Medical Association statistics: over 45% of adults in the United States suffer from stress-related health problems; 75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints and disorders; every week 112 million people take some form of medication for stress-related symptoms; and on any given day, almost 1 million employees are absent due to stress. In view of this, it is clear that there is a need for improved means for stress reduction.
People often relate the state of relaxation to sleeping, or being otherwise disengaged from responsible activity. In reality, it is a very useful and necessary state when they in the midst of daily activity. Western culture is so oriented to the concept of being physically active and productive that it gives little credibility to activities that don't result in a physical product as their outcome. This leads to an increase in stress levels. Giving individuals permission to choose a state of awareness that is more inner directed than outer allows them to “work smarter, not harder.” In the alpha-theta states, people can reduce stress levels, focus, and be centered, not lost in the emotion of the moment. In these states, people can be more creative and self-expressive and bring more clarity to all their ideas.
As the pace and stress of modern life has increased, research into the physical, mental and psychological benefits of stress reduction has also increased. Recently, research has centered on the positive impact of neuro-feedback (EEG Training). The recent availability of powerful personal computers has allowed widespread application of neuro-feedback techniques. Using feedback to increase the deeper, more relaxed brainwave states known as alpha and theta, in turn, facilitates the ability of the subject to understand the feeling of these states of reduced stress and emotionality. Understanding of the feeling allows the subject to access alpha and theta more readily when the states are needed and useful.
This technique relies upon the typical feedback methods of using tones or graphs on the computer screen to gauge access to the states. However, the feedback methods of achieving the desired state often aren't connected to the inner mechanism of reaching them unless the subject spends a lot of time in practice sessions. It would therefore be desirable to have equipment that gives stronger reward system cues when the desired state is being met so as to speed the learning process.
It would also be desirable to have means for stress reduction that does not require any training and practice sessions. One such known method of stress reduction has been to supply a direct experience of the desired state, but supplying these direct experiences (i.e., sitting on a beach or having a full-body massage) are impractical or impossible to supply as often as required.
It would therefore be desirable to have a means and method for addressing stress.
Numerous prior art attempts have been made at providing therapeutic body-support structures such as chairs and tables that provide aural or vibratory stimuli. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 2,520,172 to Rubinstein, U.S. Pat. No.2,821,191 to Paii, U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,088 to Leonardini, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,880,152 and 4,055,170 to Nohmura, U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,566 to Martinmaas, U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,376 to Yamada, U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,249 to Abbeloos, U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,067 to Yamada et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,225 to Vogel, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,813,403 and 5,255,327 to Endo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,871 to Komatsubara, U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,755 to Schmid-Eilber, U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,810 to Skille et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,055 to Eakin, and U.S. Pat. No.5,624,155 to Bluen et al. With regard to placement of transducers, the primary teaching of the prior art appears to be that of even distribution of the aural and/or vibratory stimuli.